Misery Business
by DeathNoteMaker
Summary: Harry James Potter, after defeating Voldemort at the cost of his life, finds himself reborn in a new world after making a deal with the Goddess Cosmos. Becoming a medic and mechanic, he becomes part of the Tantalus Theater Troupe. Zidane/Harry
1. Chapter 1

Misery Business

By: DeathNoteMaker

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy IX, but I do own this fanfic, my ideas, and OCs.

Category: Crossover

Book(s)/Game(s): Harry Potter/Final Fantasy IX

Pairing(s): Zidane Tribal/Harry Potter, (slight) Zidane Tribal/Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, (one-sided) Kuja/Harry Potter, (slight/one-sided) Blank/Harry Potter, (slight/one-sided) Amarant/Harry Potter, Beatrix/Steiner, etc.

Warning(s): Language, Magical Violence, Slash, Use of Alcohol, Character Death, Angst, etc.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, etc.

A/N: This is the remake of my Harry Potter/Final Fantasy IX Xover. I have still noticed that besides my Xover, there isn't a lot of slash for this Xover! Even the fanfics in this section haven't been update in forever! The reason for redoing this story when I had two chapters was the arrival of new ideas, and my decision to make long chapters for any Harry Potter/Final Fantasy Xovers. Yep, anyway…if I have updated this on then I am finished up to the first disk of the game. Well, I hope that you all enjoy this story!

Summary: Harry James Potter, after defeating Voldemort at the cost of his life, finds himself reborn in a new world after making a deal with the Goddess Cosmos. Becoming a medic and mechanic, he becomes part of the Tantalus Theater Troupe. When they're hired to kidnap the heir to the throne of Alexandria, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, Zidane Tribal, Harry now Emerald's most persistent pursuer. Who is also a well known skirt-chaser and womanizer, drags our favorite Wizard turned Summoner on this adventure of a lifetime.

* * *

~ **Disk I, Chapter 1: I Want To Be Your Canary** ~

* * *

_**Looking around the corner, the small black-haired child made sure that none of the guards were around. If he was going to make it outside into the city, then he was going to have to make sure none of them saw him. Moving back as the afternoon guard went by, he didn't make a sound until they left. Sighing in relief, he then moved to run down the hallway and out the back way of the castle. Giggling with happiness, he made his way all the way to the door only to skid to a stop.**_

_**Right there in front of him was his father!**_

_**Finally coming to a stop right in front of the man, the green-eyed boy saw the amusement on the man's face. "And where exactly did you think you were going?" Laughing nervously, the child only clasped his hands behind his back. "I wanted to go into the city today…" Cursing mentally, the boy wondered why he couldn't lie like any other person. Anytime he even thought about it, one line always sprung into his head.**_

'_**I shall not tell lies.'**_

_**The elder male only chuckled while staring at his child.**_

_**"You know that if you wanted to go outside, you could have just come to your mother and I and asked?" **_

_**Shaking his head with a pout, he stared up at his father with large emerald green eyes.**_

_**"You say that all the time, but every time I would have to take guards with me and then none of the other kids would want to play with me!" **_

_**Sighing the man could only feel sadness well within him. He knew that his son was very lonely being stuck in the castle, but his wife didn't want him to leave the castle without any security. Placing his hand on top of the boy's head, he allowed a smile to form on his face at the decision he came to. **_

_**"Would you like for me to introduce you to my friend's ward? He is about the same age as you if not a year or two older." Emerald green eyes widened in shock before a beautiful smile spread across the boy's face.**_

_**The sound of footsteps reached his ears, and he turned to look at the newcomers. His eyes widened as his connected with happy blue. A look of anger took over his features, and he pointed a finger at the blond boy he had encountered during his first time escaping the castle. **_

"_**IT'S YOU!"**_

Bolting up from his slouched position in his chair, an effeminate emerald-eyed male yawned softly while brushing his long bangs away from his face. Pushing the slim-framed glasses up the bridge of his nose, he looked down at the documents he had been reading through prior to falling asleep. Wiping away the small trail of drool from his mouth, he stood up from his chair and moved over to the small sink in his room. Turning on the cold water, he splashed his face and leaned against the porcelain and sighed. Running a hand through his loose shoulder-length hair.

Opening his eyes slowly, he peered at himself in the mirror hanging up on the wall. Standing up straight, he turned around and walked back over to his chair. A shiver ran up his spine from the cold wooden floor, and the breeze that came through his wind chilled his bare legs that peeked out from beneath his thigh-length button up long-sleeved white sleeping shirt. Bringing a hand up to his mouth, he muffled his yawn while undoing the buttons of his shirt with his free hand.

Glancing over at clock across the room on the wall, he noticed the time and cursed inwardly. Narrowing his eyes, he realized that he shouldn't have been sleeping this long. Walking over to his desk, he picked up the files and did a quick glance over.

"I can't believe that I allowed that damn monkey to talk me into this." Reaching over to his trunk he flipped it open and pulled out his usual outfit consisting of a off the shoulder long-sleeved shirt, that was loose around his shoulders and stopped at his thighs, a green vest that was lined with black, black skinny jeans, and black lace-up boots. Both the shirt and jeans fitted him like a skin second for easy maneuverability.

Slipping into his clothes, he finished off the outfit with his trademark black leather gloves before placing his glasses on his dresser drawer. Grabbing the two green metal hair tubes that sat on his dresser drawer, he slid them onto his chest-length side bangs that framed his face. Picking up his cup half full of tea, he sipped it and smiled. It was still good despite it being cool now.

"Where is he anyway? Didn't he say he was going to walk with me to the meeting room?"

Massaging his temples, Emerald sighed as he crossed his arms with a frown on his face. _'I guess I shouldn't really be that surprised huh? After all this isn't the first time he has done this anyway…'_ Clenching his fist and narrowing his eyes, he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. Slowly opening eyes, he shook his head and walked to the door. Looking out the window, he saw their approaching destination, the kingdom of Alexandria.

"I have a bad feeling about this whole thing."

Emerald then walked out of his room, while making sure to lock it tight. He did live on an airship with a bunch of thieves after all, and they all liked to try and steal each other's items for fun. Not that he thought anyone would take something of his after what happened to the last person who tried. This is the first time he has been back on the ship in months for the noted person as well. Stalking down the hallway like a panther on the prowl, he wondered where the hell that womanizing thief of his was.

The blond had sworn that he would stop by to talk about some problems, and then walk to the meeting room together. Yet again, he has seemed to forget his promise, and the green-eyed male wasn't amused in the least. For a second, sadness was visible in his lovely eyes, but that was quickly replaced with a fiery rage. Cracking his knuckles a shadow appeared on his face as his eyes took on an eerie glow.

'_I am going to beat that man to a pulp!'_

As he made his way through the hallway, the aura around him seemed to grow darker as his anger seemed to grow. The shadow around him seemed to move, and any who saw him at that moment would undoubtedly freeze up in unadulterated fear. Down the hall, a roar sounded suspiciously like that of a Dragon reverberated throughout the hallway. Emerald already had a pretty good idea as to where it was coming from, and who was the person behind it.

The black pupils in his eyes thinned into slits, as he mentally promised to break the face of the person responsible. Hadn't he already told them not to mess with that, especially since he wasn't finished modifying it yet! Coming to a stop right in front of the door to the meeting room, the clang of steel clashing with steel reached his ears and confirmed his suspicions. Bringing his foot up, he kicked the door with enough brutal force causing the door to fly off its hinges, and into the room while still upright. The fearsome roar that had been echoing throughout the room, instantly turned into two almost identical cries of pain, which caused the feminine man to smirk cruelly.

Yes, that kind of reaction was very unbecoming of a medic. But who was going to comment on it?

Placing his hands on his waist, he watched with amusement as everyone in the room stiffened instinctively at the anger emanating off of him.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

All eyes snapped over to him in the blink of an eye, and they all started to sweat under the intense gaze of the green-eyed man. Tapping his foot, Emerald raised an eyebrow as he waited for an explanation. With a quick sweep of the room, he noticed that his monkey-tailed target was oddly absent.

Quickly his eyes latched onto the oddly patched-skinned man, whom finding himself directly under his gaze stood straight.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on Blank?" Being put on the spot, the red-haired man gulped as he turned to face the shorter male but prayed that one of the others would back him up.

Crossing his arms, the long-haired male gave him a look that said that his patience was running thin, and someone better fess up or someone was going to get broken. Frankly that look scared them all even more than any beastie they have faced in the past. Sighing, Emerald stared them all down with a deadpanned expression.

"So no one is going to tell me whose bright idea this was? Especially when we are right outside of Alexandria and we still haven't gone over this ridiculous plan of ours?"

Running a hand through his bangs, he briefly caressed the horn on his head. No one answered, and he promised that he was going to make them all pay. Feeling a headache form, he massaged his temples and closed his eyes.

"Okay, if you are going to be that way…where is Baku?" Bringing his hand away from his head, he looked around.

"And where is Tribal?"

Instantly, as if to answer his inquiry of their whereabouts, two groans were heard from underneath the downed door. Slowly the door was pushed up from the floor to show two figures. One was a portly older man, while the other was the one whom Emerald had been looking for this whole time.

"UGHUUA! OH MY HEAD!"

A hiss of pain escaped the lips of the younger man as he rubbed the back of his head, which hit the floor due to the door hitting him.

"I'll have to second that one."

His tail was swaying behind him, but went rigid as a shadow blocked out the light over him. Blue eyes widened in fright as they connected with furious green.

"So I was right then…it was you two idiots who were wasting time…" Picking up both of them with disturbing ease by their collars, both of them would swear to anyone that they saw devil horns grow on his head and flames ignite around his body.

"IF ALL OF YOU DON'T GET YOU ASSES IN THAT ROOM AND START THIS MEETING, I WILL MUTILATE ALL OF YOU!"

None of them had to be told twice as they all scrambled into the meeting room, not exactly feeling brave enough to provoke a reaction out of the medic/mechanic. Slapping his forehead, the lithe male could only sigh as he went over to the door and picked it up. Walking over toward the entryway, he easily set the door back in place, tested it, and then closed it. Baku only laughed.

"Hey fools! You're lookin' a lot better! Gwahahaha! Alright! Let's start this meeting already! I don't feel like being tortured by our star gem! Gwahahaha!"

Going into the room, he locked eyes with the monkey-tailed thief who was staring right at him. Scowling, he dismissed the other male with a snort before walking away. Following the others, he ignored the confused look that was shot at him from the blond man.

There many things in which Zidane Tribal was known for. His skills in thievery, his infamous womanizing and skirt chasing were some of the major ones. But the one thing that everyone knew about him was in fact his pursuit of the Tantalus medic and mechanic, Emerald. Since the day his sky blue eyes landed on the green-eyed beauty all those years ago, he had made his intentions known.

Of course when he had done this, he was knocked to the next continent, but the blush he had provoked had been worth it. Don't get him wrong, he loved women, but he could say that he loved Emerald just as much if not more. Which is now while he is sitting with the other members of their group, he wonders why his gem was so upset with him.

Today he was sure that he hadn't done anything stupid, but he had to have done something to piss him off. Usually he was a very mellow person, but something had to have set him off. Contemplating on what he could have done, he then remembered that he had told the other something. His eyes widened as it finally clicked on what he did or should he say didn't do.

'_HOLY SHIT! I forgot all about! No wonder he is pissed off with me!"_

Glancing over at his ideal lover, he watched as he gracefully sat down on one of the barrels against the wall with his arms and legs crossed. Making a mental note to apologize to Emerald after the meeting, he allowed his thoughts to run away from him. After all they were about to do a big job and depending on how it went hold the whole possibility of a war breaking out in the balance.

Baku stood in the middle of the medium-sized room, and called for their attention.

"Here's the plan! Tantalus, the infamous band of daring thieves, is headin' to the kingdom of Alexandria…our mission: to kidnap the heir to the throne, Princess Garnet!"

No one seemed surprised, but many noticed the stiffening in Emerald's posture. An amuse smirk slithered onto some of their faces, as they all knew exactly why the other didn't look keen on the idea of having another woman on the airship.

Ruby was a special case, since she was like a sister to him, but otherwise he wasn't happy with the thought of having a possibly bratty Princess. Baku took a look at everyone, and saw that they understood what was expected of them. Cinna, Baku's second in command stood up from his seat.

"I'll take it from here, so listen up!"

Everyone straightened up in their chairs, they were about to be given their specific tasks after all. Rubbing the horn on his head absentmindedly, Emerald sighed before placing his hands on his lap. He could only hope that they didn't give him some crazy role to play, like last time. Shuddering at the thought of the role he had to play last time, he narrowed his eyes as he heard snickering from off to the side. Glancing over, his eyes connected once again with Zidane's, and seeing the amused smirk sent his way made him scowl.

It seemed that he wasn't the only one who remembered what happened last time.

"Our ship is about to dock at Alexandria…and when it does, we're gonna put on our costumes…and perform **'I Want To Be Your Canary'**, the most popular play in Alexandria!"

At the name of the play, the green-eyed beauty couldn't help but groan. He had no idea as to why everyone seemed to love the damn play.

"Break a leg Marcus! 'Cause you're the lead!"

Bringing a hand up to his chest, he sighed in relief. Emerald ignored the snickering that was coming from the others, who noticed what he had done. Don't get him wrong, it wasn't that he didn't like acting, because that was a lie. He actually did enjoy acting. What he didn't enjoy were all the women that threw themselves at him after it. Glaring over at Zidane and Black, he smirked as he watched them stop snickering instantly before they sat up straight.

Marcus stood up from his seat and pounded his fist on his chest.

"Leave the actin' to me! Of course, the real kidnappers'll be Blank, Emerald, and Zidane!" While Zidane looked excited, the black-haired medic/mechanic seemed almost reluctant. _'Why do I have the feeling that something is going to go terribly wrong on this mission!'_

Blank looked over at his chosen partners in this mission.

"I'll distract the audience from the backstage with these little buggers." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small bug that hopped out of his hand. He flinched a bit, but due to his reflexes he caught the bug in mid hop.

"I can't stand oglops…but I'll manage, so don't worry about me…and that'll be your cue, Emerald…Zidane!"

Jumping up from his seat, the monkey-tailed male pumped his fist into the air.

"So that's when my gem and I kidnap Princess Garnet, right?"

Walking over towards 'his' said gem, and wrapped an arm around his shoulder while wagging his eyebrows suggestively at him. Scoffing he knocked his arm off while trying to will away the small blush that formed on his cheeks.

"Cut that out monkey-boy!"

Baku chuckled loudly as he watched the obvious attraction between the two. No matter how many times he had seen them interact, it had always amused him. Holding up a small doll from off of the table with black-brown hair in a dress, he smirked.

"You bet! You're gonna kidnap the most babe-ilicious beauty (besides our own emerald of course; this comment earned Zidane an irritated glare though it wasn't harsh) in all of Alexandria, Princess Garnet!"

* * *

Walking through the alleyway with an aura that screamed depression, the black mage boy couldn't believe that he had a fake ticket to the play. Now there was no way that he would be able to go and see _**'I Want to Be Your Canary'**_! Looking down at the cards in his hand, he felt a little bit of happiness from the sympathy that the Ticket master had shown him. _'I got a Goblin, Fang, and Skeleton Card…'_ Lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice a cobblestone that was slightly out of place in the path, and tripped over it.

Groaning slightly in pain, he slowly stood up and readjusted his hat on top of his head. Cursing was heard from somewhere above him and he looked around and noticed a plump dog man was stepping down a ladder. Once he got down to the ground, he narrowed his dark eyes on him and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly he did.

"Hey! You made me miss you little klutz!"

With that said he climbed right back up the ladder, and fixed the sign he was working on. The boy knew that if he had eyebrows, he would have raised one questioningly. Really he couldn't understand how his falling down had been distracting enough to make him mess up. Not even a second later, the man (Dante the Sign maker) was finished and climbed down the later one more time.

Bringing his hand up to his face, he wiped the non-existent sweat away from his forehead.

"Whew…that should do it…well…it's been a long day."

Yawning he began making his way out of the alleyway, and didn't bother taking his ladder away with him. Scratching his head slightly in confusion, the black mage was about to walk away. If someone took his ladder it wasn't really his fault.

Turning around to continue his way deeper into the alley, he noticed a small rat child who appeared in front of him. Looking down at the shorter male, he could only guess what he wanted. Of course he wasn't disappointed when the kid began talking.

"Hey you! Shrimp! You're the one with the phony ticket, ain't cha? I saw the guy tell you it was fake!"

While on the inside he ranted about it not being like he knew it was a fake, but he didn't have the courage like always.

"Y-Yeah, it's fake."

A triumphant expression formed on the kid's face, and once again he wondered what he was thinking about. _'Hopefully it isn't anything outrageous…'_ Once again, as if reading his mind the kid allowed a smirk to appear on his face. Pointing towards himself, the rat child leaned forward.

"I'll let you see the show if you become my slave!"

If his yellow eyes could get any wider he was sure that it would have taken up most of his face.

'What the fuck…"

The rat child's smirk only seemed to widen, "Well, whaddya say?"

* * *

Garnet Til Alexandros XVII stood outside on her balcony staring out towards the sun that was slowly setting beneath the horizon. Fear was prominent in her eyes, but so was determination as she saw the airship that was coming to rest in the middle of the stadium directly outside of the main balcony.

Tonight's play was obviously a major event (especially with it performing on her birthday), and she was sure that all the seats would be packed. Brushing her hair away from her face, she closed her eyes as a gentle breeze played with her long brown-black hair.

All the planning that she had made was going to be put into action tonight. She had to get to her uncle, and get his help about her mother. The woman has changed so much, and she didn't know what to do! Clasping her hands together, she prayed that all of her hopes wouldn't be in vain. Looking over at the airship, she continued to hope that everything went according to plan without any mishaps.

Oh how wrong her hopes would be crushed…at least the hope for no mishaps anyway.

Fixing her hair and patting down her dress, she wasn't surprised when there was a knock at her door. The play was about to begin, and she was going to commence her plan.

* * *

Everyone's eyes were pinned to the slender beautiful man that stood in the middle of the stage. He was the epitome of exotic with his unusual features. He had pale skin, long raven's wing hair that framed his fey-like face and bright emerald-green eyes. Those eyes were a large part of their enchantment, but there was no denying his paralyzing beauty altogether. Adorning his body was a black sleeveless alien garb, which was outlined in orange.

Salmon, Magenta, and periwinkle blue flowers decorated the fabric. The same was for the detached sleeves that completely covered his hands from sight. Around his waist was an orange cloth that was tied tightly to his body, further giving evidence that he was lithely built frame. On his feet were flat shoes, and in his hair above both of his ears were elaborate hairpieces that had the same design as the flowers on his outfit.

The music finally came to halt, and everyone's breathe lodged in their throat in anticipation as the androgynous male spread his arms wide as a silhouette shined down on him. A seductive smirk slithered onto his face, and his bright eyes trailed along everyone making a shiver of pleasure go through their bodies.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Tonight's performance is a story that takes place long, long ago."

Beginning a slow walking across the walkway, he glanced at everyone and made sure he made eye contact with many of the audience.

He even took a glance over in the direction of the Queen and Princess.

"Our heroine, Princess Cornelia, is torn from her lover, Marcus."

Bringing his hands to his chest, he leans his head back and utter sorrow was visible on his face.

"She attempts to flee the castle, only to be captured by her father, King Leo."

Suddenly he turned his head in the direction of the audience as a whole, and let his arms fall at his sides.

"When our story begins, Marcus, having heard of this, crosses swords with the king…and now…"

Giving an extravagant bow and wink towards the Queen.

"Your Royal Majesty, Queen Brahne, Your Highness, Princess Garnet…"

He repeated his previous actions towards the Princess as well. Turning back to the people in the stadium, "Noble ladies and lords…"

Looking up at the people on the roof, he allowed a warm smile to form on his face. "And our rooftop viewers, Tantalus proudly present _**'I Want to Be Your Canary'**_!

With one more bow, the lights cut off and the stage was covered in darkness.

The others waiting for the introduction to end couldn't help but feel impressed if not entranced by their medic/mechanic's performance. Zidane in particular enjoyed it, and especially enjoyed that outfit that he had picked out for his darling jewel. Despite being a womanizer, he could honestly say that he was more attracted to the green-eyed beauty than he had been to anyone he had even known. As soon as the lights cut off on Emerald, the crowd went wild obviously enjoying the intro. Getting ready for their parts, they tightened their grips on the prop swords in their hands.

The light fell on Blank first.

"Bereft of father! Bereft of father! Marcus! Thou has lost even thy love!" Standing up from his kneeled position, the light then fell on top of Cinna.

"Fortune hath escap'd thee! For what end shalt thou live?" Getting up, Zidane raised his sword over his head, and with complete seriousness.

"For the sake of our friends…Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King of Leo!"

Agreeing with his statement, the other two raised their blades as well before making their way towards the middle of the stage. The stage was then illuminated with lights showing Marcus standing in front of Baku, whom was dressed as King Leo. Blank, Zidane, and Cinna came to a stop at his side with their swords raised. Cinna stepped forward with a look of determination, which seemed to shock Marcus.

"We shall back thee, kinsman!"

Shaking his head, Marcus raised an arm gesturing for them to stay back.

"Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!" Turning back towards the King, and got into a stance. Cinna shook his head and stepped forward.

"Nay, kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!" The king looked at them all with utter amusement, and cackled loudly.

"What ho?" Swinging his hand arm to the side, he sneered.

"Out, vermin! Thou darest bare thy sword before the king! All who stand in my way will be crush'd!" Coming forward Zidane steps forward and makes an experimental swing with his sword.

"Treacherous Leo, my kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!"

Watching the play progress from inside of the airship, Emerald sighed.

"Once again, why in the hell does everyone love this play?" The sound chuckling to his right grabbed his attention, and then a pair of slim arms wrapped around his shoulders.

"Are you grumbling about how many people love your play?" Glancing over at the lovely blue-haired female looking at him mischievously, he couldn't help but smirk back at her in amusement.

"I can't help it if I think their all stupid for liking this play in particular…especially seeing as I absolutely hate it."

Clenching his fists slightly, he gritted his teeth. He continued to watch as Zidane and Blank began their fighting scene. Looking over at the Queen and Princess, his eyes widened in shock as he noticed her being mysteriously absent. _'Dammit!'_ Ruby looked at him questioningly. Looking down at her apologetically he pulled her arms from around his.

"Sorry Ruby, but it seems I have to inform the others of a rather sudden turn of events."

Nodding, she blew him a kiss.

"Well I hope you will have time to watch my performance Emerald, I wouldn't want to do your creation injustice…even if you don't like it." Going out the door, she didn't have to look at him to see the amused smirk on his handsome face. Placing his hands on his hips, he sighed for the umpteenth time that day. He could just tell that things were going to get extremely complicated from here on out. _'Let's just hope that I don't have to use any magic before the nights out.'_

Taking one last look at the blond monkey boy's performance, he made his way out of the room and towards the castle with a crack.

* * *

Flexing his fingers while making sure his gloves were securely on his hands, Emerald looked over at the wall and saw that the other two should be here soon. Looking over at the table, he noticed that the schedule said these two idiots were on duty. Green eyes slid over towards the two unconscious, hog-tied Knights that were off to the side. A sadistic smirk was firmly implanted on his face as he remembered the looks on their face when he knocked them out. When the sound of footsteps came closer to the room, he leaned back in the chair and placed his feet on the table.

His sharp vision took in the slightly tense stances of the blond and Blank, he couldn't help but send them a warm smile.

"Now don't be shy come on in." Emerald's smirk only widened as the two walked in to see the tow Knights he had been taken care of. Picking up their armor, he held it out to the two thieves.

"These kind young knights decided to allow us to borrow their uniforms." Running a hand through his bangs, he flips the locks away from his face.

"We don't have much time, I had noticed from the airship that the Princess isn't currently in her seat…if anything we were told about her schedule is true…than she is most likely in her room."

Looking at Blank, he crossed his arms.

"It will be your job to be the lookout for trouble." Turning towards Zidane, he pointed at him and then himself.

"That leaves Zidane and me as the ones who have to actually kidnap the Princess." Both of them nodded in understanding, and Emerald held out a small vial to let them see it.

"One of the servants should be coming with tea, and using your disguise Zidane, you could use an excuse like security as a reason to get to the tea."

Moving towards the door, he looked back at them.

"Alright, it's time we got this over with and quickly…I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

Getting outside of the room, the trio split up with Blank going to the right and the other two up the stairs. The audience outside gasped loudly, and the group cursed in unison. It was obviously the scene where Marcus sneaks into Cornelia's chamber, which meant they didn't have much time left before the final scene. While climbing the numerous stairs, Zidane turned his attention on to his companion.

"So my gem, why were you so hostile earlier?" Crossing his arms with a scowl, twin green depths silently promised pain.

"You should know exactly why I am angry Tribal!" Turning his head away, he snorted.

"You seemed to have forgotten that you promised we would walk to the meeting room together…"

A small blush formed on his pale cheeks, and he looked everywhere but at the blond male.

"Before we left on airship from the city, you had said that you had wanted to talk to me about our relationship." The thief's eyes widened as he instantly realized that he was in fact angry about their planned meeting, and a curse left his lips.

He was kind of hoping that it was beacuse he had done something else!

"Unfortunately you never fulfilled the promise, and now I have been more than a little pissed off with you…but I guess I should have known you would do something like this by now."

Coming to the top of the stairs, the green-eyed beauty looked at him with complete seriousness.

"Is there a chance that something significant can form between us, or should I just give up hope?"

Stopping on the stair three stairs down from the one the slightly shorter male occupied, Zidane looked into his eyes and could see behind the solemn expression…there was something else there that he didn't recognize. Opening his mouth to answer the question, he heard a gasp and they both turned their heads towards the person whom came out of a room on their right. Almost at once Emerald's hands twitched, while the other male at his side reached for his daggers. But then he remembered he was in this armor.

Both green and blue eyes were locked on the girl's frame. Tilting his head slightly, Emerald noted that she was wearing a White Mage's robe. From the information given to them after they accepted the mission, there were not many White Mages in this kingdom if any and they would be in the infirmary. Zidane on the other hand, felt his hot woman senses tingling. Looking her over, he thought that she was dressed pretty funny. While they were lost in their separate thoughts, the girl stepped up to them timidly.

Wringing her hands, she nervously fidgeted in place when she felt their eyes on her.

"Umm…would you let me pass?"

Sighing in annoyance, Emerald brought a hand up to his forehead and he massaged his temples. He could definitely feel the headache from earlier coming back with vengeance. After he had got rid of at least a little of the pain he looked up to only look at the scene in front of him with surprise. It seemed that while he was deep in thought, the monkey boy decided to once again show why he was known as a womanizer.

"Hmmm…Maybe you're right…I'd never let someone as pretty as you get away. Say, you wouldn't-"

Ignoring the slight pain that went through his heart, he clenched his fists. Now was not the time for personal matters!

"We don't have all day Zidane, we have-"Before he could continue, Blank decided that it was time for him to come back.

"Hey, what's going on, Emerald? Zidane?" Locking his emotions inside, he crossed his arms and turned to answer him. "Nothing mu-"

The girl that seemed so docile a second ago seemed to panic, and she pushed Zidane and Emerald out of the way as she dashed downstairs. As they all regained their balance, Blank looked at the other two questioningly.

"Who the heck was that!" Zidane's eyes then widened in complete shock.

"THAT WAS PRINCESS GARNET!"

Rage flashed through Emerald's eyes.

'_Dammit!'_

All three of them took off after her, and came to a two way hallway. Looking at each other, they nodded. Emerald and Blank would go down one hallway, while Zidane would go down the other. Blank was already down the hall while Zidane and Emerald stood at the fork. The blond was looking over at the black-haired male, and opened his mouth to say something when the other just walked forward without a word.

Sighing, the monkey-tailed man watched the other until he disappeared around the corner before he went his own way. After all this was over, he was going to talk with him.

* * *

Glaring down at the two little jesters, he couldn't help but wonder why exactly the queen kept them around. After all they didn't do much else but annoy anyone every time they opened their mouths.

"Your Majesty! See the queen, we must!" Scowling at the two of them, the Captain of the Knight of Pluto crossed his arms.

"Her majesty is busy! Come back later!" The two jesters only jumped up and down repeating themselves about having to see the queen.

The armor-clad man was really close to just slicing them in half.

"Is it an emergency?"

Looking away from the two, his eyes widened before narrowing in anger. A beautiful woman with shoulder blade-length light brown hair and a black eye patch over her right eye walked forward. She was wearing her own modified version of the female knight uniforms. On her waist was the sword, which she used to become famous along with her powerful abilities, _Save the Queen_.

Ignoring him, the two jesters otherwise known as Zorn and Thorn respectively by their blue and red outfits, went over towards her.

"An emergency, it is!" Jumping up, Zorn added his piece.

"A veritable emergency of terrible urgency!" For a second, she contemplated it before nodding.

"Very well. I'll see what I can do." Both of the small men jumped up, and smirked back at the Captain who was fuming.

"Very grateful, we'll be! We'll be very grateful!"

Clenching his fists, the Captain of the Knights of Pluto growled. _'Curse that Beatrix! Always trying to one-up me!'_ Beatrix looked down at them with a completely stoic look.

"So what exactly is the problem?"

Like usual the two talked in a creepy, wacked-out unison but got the point across that the Princess was missing, and could possibly be in danger. Silently he watched as the woman sauntered down the small set of stairs, and then stood next to the queen. Tapping her chest with her fists in the salute of the Alexandrian Kingdom, Beatrix waited for her queen to notice her.

The large blue-skinned woman continued to fan herself, while looking at the much prettier woman from the corner of her eye.

"No interruptions! Can't you see I'm watching the show!" Bowing, Beatrix apologized. "Your Majesty, I'm afraid Princess Garnet has-" Before she could get another word in, she was interrupted by the large woman.

"Ah, yes…she did leave her seat awhile ago."

Clearing her throat, the General of Alexandria's army continued with what she was saying.

"Your Majesty, it seems that Princess Garnet has run off with the Royal Pendant." As if she had said the magic word, the Queen's attention was instantly on her.

"Well, of all the…What could she be thinking! General Beatrix!" The voluptuous woman saluted, and stood straight.

"Your Majesty!"

Turning to the other side, she saw her daughter's Knight standing off to the side.

"And, Captain…uh…Captain Steiner!" Moving to her side, he did the salute of the Pluto Knights.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Clenching her hand on the fan, she gritted her teeth while she watched the play continue on the stage below.

"Go find Garnet!" Bowing the both Steiner and Beatrix voiced their acceptance of the task.

* * *

Getting to the hallway, Steiner went through different places the Princess could have gone to in the castle. It shouldn't take any effort to find her, and if he and his knights found her first then he could show up Beatrix. Smirking, he stood up straight and turned towards the room that the Knight of Pluto should be in.

"Knights of Pluto! ASSEMBLE!"

A few seconds passed, and no one had come through the door. Not a sound was heard, and he grits his teeth.

"HUH? WHERE IS EVERYBODY!" The door to the room slammed open and two men came out, but the Captain's eyes widened at the state of his two men. Not only were they beaten up, but they were wearing nothing more than their underwear.

"Captain, sir! All present and accounted for, sir!"

Scowling at the both of them, steam was practically spewing from his ears.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT! THERE'S ONLY THE TWO OF YOU! WHERE ARE THE OTHER SIX! WHY, YOU USELESS GOOD-FOR-NOTHINGS! I BRING ORDERS FROM THE QUEEN! GET DRESSED AND GO FIND PRINCESS GARNET!"

Both of the Knights jumped at the booming voice of their leader, and immediately began their search for the Princess. While they were worried for the kind-hearted princess, they were more afraid of their Captain's wrath than any sense of duty to the black-haired young woman.

Huffing at the amount of energy he had just exerted, a gleam of determination glowed in his dark eyes as he began his own search. For both the princess and the missing Knights and this took him all around the castle. One of his Knights wanted to quit, because of some dream of theirs. While he wanted to let him go, he needed all the help he could get to find the Princess. After she was found, then he could worry about such trivial problems.

Steiner could do nothing, but gasp for breath as he finally made it to the top of the watch tower. Placing his hands down on his knees, he tried to regain his breath. After a few minutes, he sighed and stood up to his full height.

"Whew…Fatigue rears its ugly head. No! I must persevere! The Princess must be found!" Trailing his eyes along the crowds, he cursed as he didn't see the princess, but then a movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention.

They were going around one of the watch towers were the Princess being chased by a blond-haired man.

"WAIT! OVER HERE! IT'S PRINCESS GARNET! BEING HOUNDED BY BRIGANDS! FEAR NOT, PRINCESS! YOUR KNIGHT IS COMING!"

* * *

Zidane smirked as the Princess slowly stood on top of the balcony ledge, he was sure that he had her now. Though he couldn't help but think how similar this was to his first meeting with Emerald. Frowning momentarily at the thought of the black-haired beauty, he wondered wither he went back to the ship yet. _'I really need to talk to him after we're back on the ship…'_ Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he turned his attention back to the current situation. He needed to get the Princess and then he could worry about what he was going to do about Emerald.

All he could hope now is that she doesn't do exactly what Emerald did when he first met him. Looking down at him, she smiled briefly and put her hands behind her back. Thinking that there was nowhere that she could go, he stepped forward. But to his surprise, a sense of déjà-vu hit him as she let herself fall back. Gaping at the action, he ran to the edge and watched as she swung away on a wire towards the airship.

For a moment, he could do nothing else but yell in his head about how her method of escape was like when he first met his Emerald. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed one of the other wires, and made his way after her. Tightening his grip on the wire, he saw her laughing merrily as she swung towards the ship. Jumping off, she landed on the ship and Zidane jumped off to not even a minute later. Both of them then scrambled into the ship.

* * *

The show was wonderful, and Vivi was happy that he was able to see it. Puck, the rat kid whom apparently was his master seemed to agree as he stared at the stage. Sometime during the play, they came to stand in front of the booth that held the Nobles.

"Wow, what a show!" Wiping away a tear, the little black mage fixed his hat.

"Yeah, so sad…"

Glancing over to the mage, the rat-like kid grinned.

"I'm glad we climbed all the way over here. How about you, huh?" For a second they allowed themselves to soak in the brilliant show that happened before them, but like good things, it had to come to an end. Puck looked over to the side from the corner of his eye, and his eyes widened as he saw two Knights of Pluto coming towards them.

"Uh oh! LOOK OUT!"

Running off, he left Vivi behind who finally saw their incoming problem. He turned around to run away when his clumsiness reared its ugly head, and he tripped. Puck came back, but noticed the Knights closing in on them.

"Fool! I'm outta here!" Without another look back, the kid ran away leaving Vivi to be captured by the Pluto Knights. Quickly scrambling up to his feet, the black mage ran towards the stage as Pluto Knights came from both sides of the platform.

There was no way he was going to let those idiots capture him!

* * *

Slapping his hand to his forehead, the mechanic of the Tantalus couldn't help but gloat mentally. Didn't he say that something was going to go wrong with this whole plan!

'_I knew that this whole damn mission would be nothing but trouble!'_

Wiping the blood from his chin that dribbled down his chin from the strike he received from one of the Knights, he dashed forward at alarming speeds bringing his fist back. Smashing his fist into the helmet of the knight, he smirked in satisfaction as he heard the resounding crack of the Knight's skull, and watched as he flew back away from the force of his strike. Jumping out of the way as another knight moved to hit him as he continued to protect the young black mage, who had unknowingly exposed the Princess they were in the middle of kidnapping.

A dose of viciousness was lovingly distributed upon the knights that were currently on the stage. In the corner of his eyes, he saw that Zidane was currently fighting the apparent Captain of these incompetent knights. Jumping into the air, Emerald brought a foot up and slammed into the side of one of the Knights' heads. His smirk widely exponentially as he heard the yelp coming from the receiver of his kick, and the knights that he flew into.

Then he sensed something from his side, and he was surprised to see that one of the knights had snuck up on him. Seeing the blade coming down on him, he brought up his arm to shield his head. But it seemed that he didn't need it as the sound of metal meeting metal echoed through his ears. While he sighed in relief, he brought down his arm and his emerald eyes widened as he saw Blank throwing the young knight away from him.

"Are you alright Emerald?"

Nodding, he sent a large warm smile towards the taller male.

"Yeah…thanks Blank! You sure saved my ass there…" The red-haired male held his hand out to him, and he grasped it. Letting himself be pulled up to his feet, he then leaned forward and placed a kiss on the other's cheek. Moving back, he brought a fist up smashing it into the knight's face that was trying to sneak up on him. Winking at Blank, a small smirk slithered onto the emerald-eyed beauty's face.

"I'll give you the second part of your reward after this whole thing is over, but before then…let me go see if that stupid monkey hasn't gotten himself killed."

Running off, he never noticed Blank raised a hand to the spot where he kissed him. Nor did he see the longing in his eyes that quickly turned to determination. For what, we would only see in time.

Zidane flipped back away from a vicious slash coming from the Armor-clad Knight, and couldn't help but grin widely. This was the kind of thing that made his line of work worthwhile. Glancing over at the Princess, he was happy to see that she was okay. So caught up in his watching of the Princess, he never noticed his opponent coming down on him with his sword.

"MONKEY BOY! GET DOWN!"

Instinctively following this order he looked up to see Emerald kick the sword out of his opponent's hands and then kicking the Knight square in his chest, denting the armor until the only thing between his foot and chest was now a thin sheet of armor.

Twisting his body in the air, the black-haired male landed on the ground gracefully in a crouch.

"It seems that I did I have to save your ass!" Standing up from the crouch, he looked back at the other with a small smirk. Placing his hands on his hips, he let his gaze drift from the orange-clad princess and back to the monkey-tailed thief. Narrowing his eyes, he scowled.

"Maybe you should save your perving for later neh?"

For a moment Zidane was confused, and then realized that he had been staring at the Princess long enough that he got distracted. Mentally smacking himself in the head, he could tell immediately what the other must have concluded. _'Crap! He is so pissed!'_ But to his surprise, the dark-haired male turned his back towards him.

"Y-You know it was nothing like that Emmy! I was just…making sure she hadn't been damaged! Would be a shame to go through all this trouble and the Princess were banged up right?"

Chuckling nervously at the darkening expression on the other male's face, he shivered as those sharp green eyes gained an unreadable gleam. A knight sprung forward to attack the medic, and before Zidane could say a thing. Emerald had grabbed the man's hands and crushed them; all the while the dark-haired young man's eyes were on him.

"We'll talk about this later."

Kicking the Knight away, he jumped back into the fray without noticing the look sent his way from the blonde. Shaking his head, Zidane tightened his grip on his daggers and leapt forward into the fight with vigor. His eyes connected with those of the main Knight, and he allowed a smirk to slither onto his face.

"My gem sure packs a punch huh?" Laughing at the daggers the man was sending towards him, he then noticed the thing behind him as the airship started to take off into the air.

"HOLY SHIT!"

* * *

Queen Brahne was livid!

Everything was ruined, and now she wouldn't be able to see the rest of the play! These rats thought they could come in here, and then take away what belonged to her!

A large smirk slithered onto her large, hideous blue face. Once she had those thieves in her grasp, she would have them all executed. Except for the black-haired one of course, he would become her personal toy. He would be so happy that she spared him that he would gladly do anything she wanted him to do.

A dozen anchors were catapulted from canons, and smashed through the hull of the airship. They would be going nowhere now, and she could destroy their ship little by little.

The smirk widened as lust filled her beady eyes.

Yes, she would get what she wanted! Soon all her plans would go into fruitation and all of her dreams would come true. _**He**_ had promised her it all!

"FIRE THE BOMB!"

Saluting towards her, she watched the female knights begin the mechanism to release the bomb. Getting up from her seat, she did a strange gig while spinning around in circles.

* * *

Cursing, Emerald dashed over towards Zidane and the Princess.

"Get back! That thing is going to blow! I'm going to try and lessen the damage it will surely do!" Looking at the slender male, the monkey-tailed thief nodded and slowly made their way to the wall near the door. The Captain motioned to stop Zidane, but was silenced with a punch to the face from an un-amused medic. Throwing the stupid man back there with Zidane and the others, he turned his eyes to the bomb that was nearly on top of the ship.

Spreading his arms, he closed his eyes and felt his magic bubbling beneath his skin. Bringing his hands out in front of him, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop all of the damage the ship was about to take, but he would be able to stop the ship from being completely destroyed. Releasing a ragged sigh, he dropped down to his knees and placed his hands on the floor of the stage. A green light spread from his position, and in a flash the airship was covered in a thin sheet of green.

Then after sighing once more, Emerald suddenly dropped to the floor unconscious from fatigue. Zidane was about to make a move towards him, but he felt hands tightening on his vest preventing him from moving. Looking down, he saw the Princess staring at the emerald-eyed male's prone body with wide frightened eyes. While he wanted to go to Emerald, her grip was not going to be letting him go anytime soon. A flash of brown from the side of his eye made its way towards the unconscious male.

Latching his eyes on Emerald's location, he saw Blank wrapping his arms around the slender male. A flash of jealousy welled up inside of him, but he squashed it down. He should be happy that Blank was helping Emerald, especially since he couldn't at the moment. But that didn't help stop the envy he felt.

Finally the Bomb exploded and around the people on the deck was covered by green shields. Unfortunately, the blast connected with the ship and it was shrouded with smoke. On the balcony of the castle, Brahne continued her little gig before leaning against the ledge with a large grin on her face. That should have definitely stopped them! Watching the large smoke cloud with glee in her beady eyes, she sensed some movement and slowly the smile left her face.

Out of the smoke cloud, the airship slowly revealed itself as it made its way out of the city. Parts of the ship fell off, and crushed buildings that were under it. All the people down below screamed and scrambled away from anything that fell from anything that fell from the smoking ship. Falling back in her seat, Brahne took both of the sides of her closed fan before snapping it in half with a scowl. Huffing, she began to throw a tantrum at losing both the Royal pendant, and her toy.

A trail of smoke followed after the airship as it struggled to keep itself in the air. Slowly the ship began its descent as it flew over a forest. More pieces of the ship fell down on the trees below, and then finally crashed down into the middle of the forest.

* * *

~End of Disk I, Chapter 1! ~

* * *

Yay! I am finally finished with the first chapter!

So yeah this is the length I am going to have all of the chapters! XD If not a bit longer, since some parts of the original storyline will have some things changed about it. Also there will be some changes in major events, and even how some characters end up in the party. Plus for what I am planning for Harry (Emerald)'s Trance will show itself soon, most likely after they get out of the Evil Forest.

Anyway I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter, and will wait for the next one!

_Yes do be prepared for longer chapters now that I will be DeathNoteMaker's Beta, Midnight Killer02. though I must say it is hard to beta someone who really doesn't make mistakes…I only found two. –sigh- oh well._

_See you all in the next chapters ahead._

83

Ja Ne,

DeathNoteMaker, and M.K.


	2. Chapter 2

Misery Business

By: DeathNoteMaker

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Final Fantasy IX, but I do own this fanfic, my ideas, and OCs.

Category: Crossover

Book(s)/Game(s): Harry Potter/Final Fantasy IX

Pairing(s): Zidane Tribal/Harry Potter, (slight) Zidane Tribal/Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, (one-sided) Kuja/Harry Potter, (slight/one-sided) Blank/Harry Potter, (slight/one-sided) Amarant/Harry Potter, Beatrix/Steiner, etc.

Warning(s): Language, Magical Violence, Slash, Use of Alcohol, Character Death, Angst, etc.

Genre(s): Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Romance, etc.

A/N: I am so happy that some people actually liked this Xover! What shocked me the most is that not a lot of people have actually played this game! Many hadn't played for stupid reasons (to me at least), since I think that IX is the best in the entire series. Or at least behind VII, but yeah I think that you should play it! But I can say that Zidane is one of the more liked heroes from the FF series. Anyway I hope that you all enjoy this new chapter!

Summary: Harry James Potter, after defeating Voldemort at the cost of his life, finds himself reborn in a new world after making a deal with the Goddess Cosmos. Becoming a medic and mechanic, he becomes part of the Tantalus Theater Troupe. When they're hired to kidnap the heir to the throne of Alexandria, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII, Zidane Tribal, Harry now Emerald's most persistent pursuer. Who is also a well known skirt-chaser and womanizer, drags our favorite Wizard turned Summoner on this adventure of a lifetime.

* * *

~ Disk I, Chapter 2: The Evil Forest~

* * *

Sitting down in her chair, Queen Brahne Raza Alexandros XVI of Alexandria, couldn't do nothing more but stare at where the Theater ship had been in shock. The surrounding area showed the damages that were caused by her efforts to stop the thieves from leaving the kingdom. On the ground in front of her was her broken fan, and now she felt sweat going down the sides of her face. All the flames on the surrounding buildings were heating up the air around her. But there was one thing that stood out to her out of everything that happened tonight. Garnet had willingly gone with those thieves!

"Garnet…I never imagined you would do such a thing…perhaps you're not such a helpless little girl anymore."

A long time ago, the blue-skinned woman would have felt pride. Now, she felt nothing but rage at the girl unknowingly screwing up her plans! Leaning back into her seat, she took a couple more deep breaths.

"Zorn! Thorn! Is our little experiment ready?"

The two little jesters seemed to pop out of nowhere like magic, and looked towards the morbidly obese Queen. Zorn jumped up while flapping his arms around like he was a bird.

"Yes, Your majesty! It is combat ready!" Copying Zorn's movements, Thorn nodded before adding in his two cents.

"Easily terminate Princess Garnet, it can, Your Majesty!"

Growling in irritation, Brahne slammed her hand down on the armrest of her seat.

"I NEED HER ALIVE! BRING HER BACK AT ONCE!"

_

* * *

_

_Ignoring the guards that were trying to stop him, Emerald stormed into his father's room. Fury lit his green-eyes, and a fierce scowl was on his pretty features. Getting to the desk, he slammed his hands down on the hardwood._

"_HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HER!" _

_The guards all bowed towards the seated man._

_"We're sorry Regent! But we couldn't stop him." _

_Snarling at the sniveling buffoons, he disregarded their very presence and turned his attention back to his father. _

"_WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO DO THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN! ARE YOU TRYING TO MAKE HER LEAVE! IS THIS WHY YOU KEEP SLEEPING AROUND WITH ALL OF THOSE WHORES! DO YOU JUST NOT CARE THAT YOU'RE BREAKING THIS FAMILY APART BECAUSE YOU CAN'T KEEP YOUR DICK IN YOUR PANTS!" _

_Narrowing his eyes on the man he called father, he couldn't help the rage he felt at the man who did nothing but stare at him a saddened expression. What did he have to feel sad about! Was he the one that was being cheated on? No he wasn't! _

_Gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, he squared his shoulders. The 12-year-old Prince of Lindblum was very close to knocking his father out the window. His anger only seemed to escalate, as the man didn't even try to defend or explain his actions! Emerald green eyes closed as he turned his head to the side, and breathed deeply to calm himself. _

_Spinning on the ball of his foot, he turned his back to the man. _

_"You know what…I'm done." _

_Walking by the guards, he got to the door and didn't turn back. _

Groaning in pain, Emerald brought a hand up to his forehead. Slowly he opened his eyes enough to see nothing but dark green over him, and immediately he knew that he was definitely not on the ship. Running his fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes briefly with a sigh before slowly trying to sit up. It took him a couple minutes, but he finally accomplished it. Leaning forward, he rested his elbows on his thighs as he massaged his temples with both hands. A monstrous headache was plaguing him, and he knew that if he didn't alleviate it soon he would put himself out of his misery.

Hissing at the pain in his cranium, he looked around and then his eyes landed on two figures a little ways away from him. Low and behold it was not only the little Black Mage, but also the very reason as to why they were all in this situation in the first place. _'Okay…I know that it isn't fair to blame the orange-wearing twit, but why not?'_ Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to the two still unconscious individuals.

Making it over to their side, he reached into his pockets and pulled out his small pouch of smelling salts. Why he always had some on him, he would never know, but it seems that it has finally come to some use at last. Kneeling down by the Black Mage, Emerald wrapped his arm around the boy's waist and shifted him over to his lap. Opening the bag, he held it near the magic-user's face. Instantly the boy bolted up in his lap with wide golden eyes.

For a few minutes, the medic/mechanic of the Tantalus Troupe could do nothing but grin at the adorable little mage. He just seemed so confused about everything that was going on. Chuckling, he placed his hand on the slightly panicking boy's head.

"Calm down little Mage…I'm glad to see you are among the living!" At the sound of his voice, the Black Mage turned to look at him in surprise as if he just realized that someone had been holding him. Mentally forcing himself not to strangle the cute boy in a smothering hug due to the cuteness, Emerald placed him back on his feet before standing up himself.

"It seems that we are in a bit of trouble right now, but I can't continue to call you little Mage…so what is your name?"

Sending the boy a friendly smile, he held out his hand.

"My name is Emerald…what's yours?"

The little Mage seemed to be embarrassed, though the former Wizard had no idea why. He grabbed onto the sides of his hat, and seemed to shift it around while pulling it down more on his head.

"I'm Vivi…it's nice to meet you." Emerald's smile seemed to brighten, and he clasped his hands.

"You are so polite! Anyway…" Dropping his hands, he turned his head in the direction of the still unconscious princess.

"It's about time that I awake her highness here."

Not a second later, he was kneeling beside her with Vivi on her other side. Bringing the petite young woman into his lap, he brought the bag up to her face and watched in reluctant amusement at her reaction. Like Vivi, she too bolted up, but she almost flew forward and fall face first on the damp ground of the forest.

"Well now that you're up your highness…we can probably now try to find a way out of the forest or find the others…the latter being preferable." For a few seconds the girl sputtered in shock, as she finally realized that they were lounging around in a most likely man-eating beast-filled forest.

"W-Where are we?"

Raising an eyebrow, the lithe male would admit that he was a little impressed at the slight calmness in which she asked the question. Gaia forbid that she started shrieking like a banshee, because he would have knocked her out immediately. Crossing his arms into of his chest, he too looked around and a grimace slid its way onto his face.

"If my guess is correct since our ship couldn't have made it that far from Alexandria…we are probably in the _Evil Forest_." Twin shivers seemed to run down the spines of his current companions, and he couldn't blame them.

'_Who would feel all warm and cuddly about a place called the EVIL Forest?'_

Patting the back of his pants, Emerald sighed. It was imperative for them to get back to the Prima Vista! There was no way he would be able to watch both of them without having to call upon the aid of his summons, and burning this forest to the ground. Besides, he couldn't even do that. Something about this forest was preventing him from using them any of the more power of his Eidolons, and whatever it was seemed to encompass the entire forest.

Garnet looked down at the ground with wide frightened eyes. Why has all this happened? She didn't imagine for all this to happen, and now she was here stuck in this forest and nowhere near Lindblum. A hand appeared in front of her face, and she blinked at it in surprise. Trailing her eyes up from the hand, her brown eyes connected with emerald green. The handsome male grasped her arms and he gently helped her up from the ground.

"Alright, it's no time to be sulking…we have to find the others."

The Princess's cheeks flushed a bright red as she felt her legs give out, and she fell into the thinly muscled chest of the black-haired thief.

"I-I'm sorry…" A hand rested on her arm, and she looked down to see the little Black Mage looking up at her in concern. Smiling at him in gratitude, she didn't notice the frown that was on the green-eyed man's face. Yelping in surprise, Garnet found herself being held bridal style by the handsome male.

"So this is what we're going to do…I'm sure that we are not that far from the airship, but I am getting a bad feeling about this place…we need to get back to the others quickly…especially with me being as weak as I am now."

Nodding in agreement, the three began the way down a beaten path. After a few minutes of trekking through the woods, not noticing the creature that was closing in on them until it was too late. Before darkness overtook him, one face flashed before his mind's eye.

'_ZIDANE!'_

* * *

"Boss! There's fire everywhere! It's outta control!"

Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Baku wondered why exactly he didn't listen to Emerald's advice about this whole job. _'If only I hadn't wanted to help an old friend out…'_ Forcing himself from his thoughts, he shook his head before his eyes hardened.

"Quit yer whinin' and get it under control! And get the wounded outta here!"

Blank nodded and saluted towards the Tantalus leader.

"Alright!" He ran off to pass on the orders, and then Baku turned towards Cinna who stood next to him.

"Get out goods outta here, too: weapons, items, anything we can use! There's no way we can survive if all our stuff is toast." Nodding, Cinna grinned.

"I'm on it!" Running off, he didn't notice when their leader turned to look out the window.

"Emerald…Zidane…I wonder if you made it…"

* * *

'_ZIDANE!'_

Wincing in pain, blue eyes were revealed to the conscious world as Zidane finally woke up. Groaning, Zidane sat up and looked around. He swore that he could hear Emerald calling for him! Shaking his head, he brought his hand up to his forehead. It seemed that he had hit his head on the ground harder than he thought. Jumping up to his feet, he walked up to the end of the small cliff and his eyes widened in shock.

There in front of him lay the Prima Vista in horrible shape, but not as bad as it would have been if Emerald hadn't used his magic to take the brunt of the damage.

"Emerald…"

Gritting his teeth, he couldn't help but wonder if the slender male was okay. That brought his thoughts back to the Princess as well. Clenching his fists, he jumped down from the cliff towards the ship. Hopefully the former two mentioned would be in or near the ship…alive and safe. Hopping down from several suitable perches of rock, he finally made it to the bottom of the cliff and up ahead was the Prima Vista.

Large clouds of smoke drifted up into the air coming from the flames, which were most likely being battled against by any who were alive on the airship. Coming up to a single thin-trunk tree, he was surprised to see a Moogle leaning against it.

"What the hell are they doin'! The whole ship's gonna burn up!" Walking forward at a leisurely pace, despite the frankly serious situation, he loved watching Cinna throw tantrums for no particular reason.

One of the minor members of Tantalus rolled his eyes as he laid one of the band members down on the ground.

"They're lookin' for Garnet and the Prince…Can't find either of them anywhere. Maybe they fell off…Got squashed under the ship." Dropping the item that he was appraising for damage onto the head of one of the unconscious near him, Cinna gaped at the nonchalant way in which the other just stated that two people might have died. Two people who were from _ROYAL_ families, and heirs to two of the most powerful countries on the continent!

"THIS IS GREAT! FIRST WE KIDNAP A PRINCESS, THEN WE KILL NOT ONLY HER BUT THE SON OF THE GUY WHO HIRED US!"

Bringing his hands up to his head, he shook his head.

"WE'LL HANG FOR SURE!"

Fear for unknown fates of Emerald and Garnet made the monkey-tailed thief speed up his pace. There was just no way that Emerald could be dead! No way! _'He is too stubborn to die! There is no way that he could've died!'_ Making it to Cinna's side, he tapped the shorter man on his shoulder, which caused him to jump almost three feet in the air from fear.

Placing his hand against his chest, Cinna gulped before anger swept through him as he realized who snuck up on him.

"ZIDANE! I'm surprised you made it! I can't believe you jumped off! You're nuts, you know that?"

Zidane did nothing more but raise an eyebrow questioningly, and crossed his arms.

" I didn't jump off…I got thrown off from the impact…so, is everyone okay?" He had heard about Emerald and Garnet, but he was hoping that it was only the hit to his head, which made him imagine what he heard. Grinning widely, Cinna nodding while tapping his foot against the ground randomly.

"Yeah…we've all got the devil's luck…but if we don't find Princess Garnet and Emerald, we're all dead meat."

Twin blue eyes widened, before determination filled them. Despite the morbid thoughts that the other thief had about the facts of the two aforementioned people, something was telling him that they weren't dead. His gut has never failed him before, and he was sure it wasn't going to start now.

'_Don't worry Princess…Emerald…I'll find you two!'_

* * *

Vivi couldn't stop himself from shaking! He couldn't even move from the spot he was currently! In front of him was some kind of plant monster, and trapped inside of the cage-like structure on top of its head was the Princess and the kind thief Monk (1). From what he could see, the Princess was unconscious in the arms of the latter mentioned male. Not even a few minutes ago the Knight whom they fought against before leaving Alexandria, came from out of nowhere and began fighting the monster. During that whole time, the Black Mage couldn't get himself to move. It was only due to Emerald pushing him out of the way, which prevented him from being in that cage with him and the Princess. Yet, he couldn't even help the other male in thanks for saving him! The sound of footsteps gained his attention, and happiness flooded him as he saw the other thief who helped him up on the stage.

"Emerald!"

When he came to a stop right next to him, Vivi tried to bring his shivers down to a minimum.

"H-He's in trouble…and the Princess is in there with him…" Turning his attention to the monster, Zidane took a step back in shock, as he finally seemed to take in the thing in front of them.

"…What the hell is that?" For a second the monster seemed to look at the blue-eyed thief as if it felt insulted.

The Knight didn't even seem to acknowledge their presence as he brought his sword in front of him with a scowl, and his dark eyes were focused on the monster that held the Princess hostage.

"Release the Princess at once!" Shaking his head, Zidane came to the Steiner's side and pulled out his daggers. Determination was clear in his eyes as he looked at the half-conscious form of Emerald, and the unconscious one of the Princess.

"Yeah, like it's gonna really listen to you. Come on!"

Launching himself forward, Zidane struck the monster with precision as he dodged the tentacles that were aiming for him. Thanking Gaia for his reflexes, he flipped back to the Knight's side when he then went forward. With a swing of his sword, the 'Rusty' Knight gave the monster a deep wound. An ear-piercing screech ripped throughout the clearing, and for a moment all three of them brought their hands up to cover their ears. But they watched in trepidation and then horror as it placed its tentacles against the cage, and a green light then circled Emerald and the Garnet before draining.

Instantly all of the damage/wounds they inflicted on the monster were healed, and the two inside of the 'cage' grew pale.

"It's using them to heal itself!" All three gaped at the monster that seemed to smirk at them, before it lashed out once again with its tentacles. Dodging the strikes, Zidane gritted his teeth as he took in the image of a vulnerable Emerald and Garnet. Heat began coursing through his body, and then a flashed of magenta light filled his vision.

Steiner, who came to a stop next to him, could only stare in shock. Once the bright light dissipated, Zidane stood there in the middle of the clearing with his clothes gone, magenta fur covered the parts of his body that his clothes once did. His skin was a light pink color, and the daggers in his hands gained a jagged look to them. At that moment he felt invincible, but he was confused as to what was going on.

"What is this?"

Glancing down at his hands in shock, his eyes were wide as the changes he just went under finally sunk into his head.

"Trance…" Turning to look at the Pluto Knight Captain, Zidane noticed the reluctantly awed expression on the man's face.

"Trance?" Nodding the older male decided to elaborate a bit more.

"I heard that it usually occurs when someone feels a surge of extreme emotion…"

Red eyes that were once blue widened, and then a large grin formed on his face.

"Well…at least we have more of a chance to beat this thing!" With that said, the young man dashed forward and he could feel the power under his skin bubbling up as words came to his mind.

"FREE ENERGY!"

* * *

Awe was clear on Emerald's face as he watched as Zidane and the others beat the Plant monster with renewed vigor. Tightening his grip on the princess, he allowed a small smile to form on her face. It seemed that he had nothing to worry about now, with these two now quickly weakening their (himself and the Princess) captor. But to his dismay, once again the monster decided it was time to use him and the princess, as it's own private potion storage. Gritting his teeth, he cast a silent barrier around her and gasped as he felt it draining him once again.

Cursing, the monk felt himself weakening and knew if the others didn't hurry up…

'_I don't even want to think about…it's bad enough that I only have enough energy to cast barrier around this girl…what I wouldn't do to be able to summon Ifrit to burn this whole forest down…'_

"FREE ENERGY!"

For the second time during the fight, Emerald felt the raw amount of power that was released with that attack. The small hairs on his neck stood up, and a shiver went down his spine. His pupils thinned into slits, and he closed his eyes as he gasped. It was thanks to this attack that had been re-supplying him with energy to keep himself conscious and the princess protected.

With a final screech, the plant monster seemed to finally give up. Collapsing, the wood bars that surrounded them fall limp. Sighing, Harry adjusted the Princess in his arms to get out when suddenly the ground seemed to shake. The monster started getting up!

"EMERALD!/PRINCESS!"

Looking over at the 'rescue' party, the green-eyed thief stared down at the princess for a split second before he made his decision.

"CATCH!" Just as the wood was coming up to form the cage again, he tossed the Princess towards the Knight whom caught her. After that, he fell backwards his vision fell to black but his eyes connected with a set of shocked blue before they closed.

"EMERALD!"

'_Who would've thought that I would die trying to help him with __his__ plans?' _

_

* * *

_

_Chaos was all around her. People were running, and then there were those who summoned beings of ultimate power. But it seemed that nothing that they did helped. A warm hand that was slightly larger than hers pulled her away from all of it. Then a woman's voice beckoned her attention, but despite her perfect hearing the voice was muffled. Next thing she knew, the hand holding hers let go and she was then pushed into another set of arms. _

_In a panic due to the loss of the warmth, she turned around and all she could take in was sad and yet resigned emerald green eyes. With that the boy took off back towards the pandemonium, and a bright light encircled his form. Above his head a large dragon appeared, and a roar reverberated throughout the air. She watched in awe as he jumped on its back, and directed it towards the sky. _

_The people that she could see from the now were crying out to him in fear, but he didn't seem to care. Up above the clouds seemed to part, and a large crimson eye looked down on them all. Right underneath it was the boy and the dragon. An ominous glow seemed to encase the eye, and a white light encircled the boy. Fear filled her, and she too screamed for him to come back. _

"_BROTHER!"_

Brown eyes slowly opened, and landed on the wooden roof above her head. Her eyes then widened and she bolted up from the bed, only to wince at the pain in her head. For a second, she massaged her temples to stem that headache that was ailing her. Running a hand through her bangs, she looked around the room.

"Where am I?"

No one answered her and she sighed, before sliding down from the top bunk she was laying on. Brushing herself off, she flipped her hair over her shoulder while checking to see if the Royal Pendant was still around her neck. Checking to see if anything else was out of place, she then walked towards the door and she heard an argument going on.

"SO YOU JUST EXPECT ME TO LEAVE HIM OUT THERE? YOU CAN'T HONESTLY EXPECT FOR ME TO FOLLOW THAT ORDER? I REFUSE! I'M GOING OUT THERE TO RESCUE HIM!"

Opening the door the first thing that she saw was the monkey-tailed thief, Steiner, and the little black Mage. As she stepped fully out into the hallway, she noticed the others and she noticed that someone was missing

The thief who had carried her through forest before they got captured by that plant monster was missing!

"PRINCESS!"

Snapping out of her thoughts, she blinked only to see Steiner staring at her with relief in his dark eyes.

"Captain Steiner…what is going on?" Instantly everyone's attention was on her.

"So the princess is awake eh?" Her brown eyes strayed over towards the source of the voice, and they fell upon the stout man, whom she could only speculate is the leader.

"Sorry for the inconvenience princess…it seems that we are going to be stuck in this forest for a while until the ship is repaired…"

But he was cut off by the furious yell from the monkey-tailed thief.

"UNTIL THE SHIP IS REPAIRED? EMERALD WON'T LAST THAT LONG OUT THERE!" Another of the thieves, the one she noticed had held her savior when they were escaping after that explosion in Alexandria, walked up and held the other from attacking their boss. She then noticed what his anger was implying, and she couldn't help the fear and guilt that filled her.

'_It couldn't be!'_

Disregarding Steiner's efforts to keep her from going toward the thieves, she wasn't going to let him keep her from finding out her answer.

"Excuse me…"

No one seemed to hear her though. Zidane, she concluded since that was what the red-haired man had called him, seemed to be close to kill someone with the weapons in his hands. She wasn't exactly sure what the name of them was (since she the only weapons she has seen are swords and staffs). All she did know was that she didn't want to be on the receiving end of them.

"YOU ARE CRAZY IF YOU THINK I AM GOING TO JUST LEAVE HIM OUT THERE TO BE EATEN!"

Clearing her throat she tried once again to gain their attention, but it seemed that the elder man decided that he had enough.

"WHAT YOU SAY YOU BRAT? ARE YOU GOING TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS? I AM JUST AS WORRIED AS YOU, BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT OURSELVES! EMERALD KNEW THE RISKS THAT WE WOULD POSSIBLY FACE DOING THIS JOB!" Growling, Zidane fought against the grip that not only Blank had him in but now Marcus.

"THEN I WILL GO AND GET HIM BY MYSELF THEN!"

A frown formed on her face, and she couldn't help but feel irritated. If their friend was out in the forest, then sitting here and arguing definitely wasn't going to save him was it?

"EXCUSE ME!"

Instantly the room went completely silent and all eyes were on her. Blushing a little at the way she raised her voice, and all of the eyes on her. She took a deep breath before she looked at them all with a determined look.

"So…it's true…that man who protected me is still out in the forest?"

The redhead, Blank, nodded before stepping forward, but then took a step back as Steiner moved a little ahead of her in a threatening way as if to ward him off from getting to close to her.

"Yes, Emerald is somewhere in the forest and if that monster is what I think it was…it most likely took him deeper into the heart of the forest to it's boss, before it came back and tried to take Vivi as well."

Clasping her hands, she looked down at the ground. It was, as she had feared. Someone had gotten hurt while helping her, because she was too weak to take care of herself.

Looking at all of them, she straightened up before bringing her hands down by her sides and clenched her fists.

"I want to go and rescue him!"

* * *

"_Bahamut?" _

_Staring at the intricate carvings on the wall, the small green-eyed child couldn't help but stare in wonder of the almighty Dragon King. Nodding, his father also looked at the depiction of one of if not the strongest of the summons granted to them. _

_"Yes, Bahamut…The Dragon King…The Hallowed Father…The First Sire…He is the main symbol of our family, signifying the many lifetimes that our family has lead our people."_

_The window ruffled his short messy black hair, and his large eyes widened. Images of the mighty Eidolon flashed through his mind's eye, and a sense of awe filled the boy._

_His father placed a hand on his shoulder, and a smile spread on his handsome face. _

_"One day you will be able to summon the mighty Dragon King to protect something precious to you, and I am sure that you will know when that time is…" For a second he fell silent, and then he brought his hand up to the jewel that hung from his neck. Silence fell between them before the older male seemed to make a decision. Lifting the pendant from around his neck, he then kneeled in front of his son. _

"_Father…?"_

_Giving his son a wide grin, the black-haired man put the necklace around his neck. Placing his hand on top of his head, he seemed to find amusement on the surprised expression on his face. _

_"I'm assuming that you will be able to watch after this for me right?" Holding the gem in his hands, he brought it up so the boy could look at it. _

_"This here is the Garnet…the stone, which our family has used to learn how to summon Bahamut."_

_Wide green eyes stared into brown, and the little boy gulped while his father let the stone go to fall against the boy's chest with a 'thump'. The wind went through the circle of stones, and the breeze ruffled the soft fabric of their clothes. Reaching up, the boy lifted the stone and stared at it with a speculative gaze. _

"_This little stone helped our family learn how to summon Bahamut?"_

_Nodding, his father then turned to walk away back towards the village. _

_"Yes, and it has been handed down to the chosen heir of our family for generations…now it is your turn to inherit it and our clan's legacy." Turning around, the current head of the Summoners all stared down at his son with an intense look._

"_I can tell that you will do great things…probably terrible to your enemies, but great."_

_At those words, images of flashes of light filled his vision. Screams, and other horrors filled his mind's eye. But what really got him was the sound of a woman pleading for his life, and then a flash of green was the last thing he saw before he collapsed._

Very slowly, Emerald opened his eyes but saw nothing but the dark green leaves of the trees. He felt so tired, and he couldn't move. Something seemed to be occupying his magic, and he figured that there was something in his system. From the stiffness he was feeling, the black-haired medic/mechanic deduced that it was most likely seeds, which were planted in his body by the 'Prison Cage'. It was hilarious to him that he finally remembered the name of the monster after being caught by it.

'_I'm already mad about being captured like that in the first place…it seems like I'm going to have to step up my training a bit…all these times fooling around with Zidane has made me soft.'_

Turning his head to the side, he noticed that he was lying on a pile of vines. He was surprised, but he wasn't exactly going to complain at the time. All these vines felt like the pillows in the palace compared to the ground.

It was quiet…too quiet, and he wasn't going to complain at the moment. Gaia bless, his magic was slowly refilling and for right now that was all he could hope for.

Prima Vista's mechanic could tell that he would soon need his magic to get out of her, and so he was using it to loosen his body up while fighting the seeds trying to turn him into plant food.

"Hopefully those morons are planning to send some help…" Thinking about it, he was sure that if he were standing he would have face faulted.

'_Actually this is the kind of thing that asshole Baku would leave me to take care of by myself!'_

Groaning slightly as he felt his magic now clearing his upper body, he moved his shoulders and heard a pop. Suddenly he heard a groan, and he tilted his head back and cursed at the sight of the large plant that was lying right behind him. With surprising strength, he lifted up his half stiff arm enough to smack himself in the forehead. This just wasn't his day was it?

'_I am burning this forest down at the soonest convenience…'_

* * *

Rubbing his stomach, Zidane groaned from the pain in the mid-section. _'He really did pull his punches until the end!'_ He did his last random sweep of the ship for any supplies that he would need, and was surprised to find a pair of gloves that Emerald would appreciate. Walking outside into the main hallway, when he noticed Blank leaning against the wall.

"So you're really going?" Moving towards the door, Zidane stopped and squared his shoulders.

"I'm surprised that you're actually not trying to come with me."

Snapping his head up, Black unfolded his arms and looked at the back of the blond-haired thief's head with his lips in a thin line.

"What exactly are you trying to say Zidane?" As if he had said what he was hoping, Zidane spun around on his heel, and glared at him with narrowed blue eyes.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about! I may seem stupid to you, but even I can see the way you have been looking at Emerald!"

Turning his head to the side after a few minutes of staring straight into the other male's eyes, Blank snorted.

"Whatever…you're full of crap."

Clenching his fists, Zidane scowled.

"Don't try to throw this off! I've always known that you've felt something for Emerald, and it was only until that earlier in Alexandria that I've figured out exactly what it was!" Walking forward, Zidane grabbed Blank by the belt that was wrapped diagonally across his chest.

"You seem to care for Emerald, but Baku tells us not to go and save him and you readily agree? Do you not care?"

Just as he was going to continue on, Blank grabbed him by his collar and held him up against the wall with a sneer.

"Don't sit here and talk about feelings! For the past few months you seemed to develop the habit of throwing off anything that was planned for you two!"

Tightening his grip, Blank's sneer grew deeper.

"Yes I am agreeing with Baku, because if we are not careful and regroup ourselves…than who will be left to save him if we get ourselves killed due to recklessness?"

Silence fell between them, and the slightly taller thief released Zidane before turning to walk back into the Prima Vista.

"I suggest that you leave…I've already given potions to the Princess for Emerald when you find him."

Not saying another word, Zidane turned his back towards his friend and went towards the door.

"Despite what it looks like…I do love Emerald."

With that he was gone, and Blank stood there in silence. For a few moments, he closed his eyes before he finally made his decision. Going back into the Theater Ship, he mentally listed all of the items he would need to help on this suicidal mission.

* * *

Garnet brought up her staff and started chanting as she put sent a healing spell towards Steiner. They had been going through the forest for an hour, and finally they had found Emerald. He was wake, and was now helping them take down the monster with almost monstrous strength. Really, she was first in awe of how he broke himself out of a makeshift earthen cave by lifting his foot and bringing it down to slam on the ground making the entire thing collapse. She had never seen a show of such brutal force, and she thought that the martial arts form that he was using was absolutely beautiful.

"Alright! Let's go Emerald!"

Brown eyes latched onto the two thieves who ran forward, Emerald jumped into the air before the other followed. Zidane's monkey tail lashed out and wrapped around the Tantalus's mechanic's calve. Using the strength of his legs, the black-haired monk spun around and launched the blond directly at the 'Heart' of the forest. Lashing out with both of his dagger, he drove them straight into the core of the monster.

A screech reverberated all throughout the forest, and everyone brought their hands up to cover their ears. Zidane and Emerald both flipped back, and if you looked closely enough, you could see a small trail of blood leaking from their ears. But one cure spell, thanks to Garnet, and they were just fine. Slowly before their eyes, they watched as the monster writhed in pain before slowly disintegrating into nothing but dust. For a few moments the whole group tried to catch their breath.

Standing up to his full height, Emerald turned towards Zidane and brought his fist down on his head. Garnet, Steiner, and Vivi stared at him in shock. The monkey-tailed thief yelped in pain, and stared at the medic/mechanic with disbelieving eyes.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" Closing his eyes, the black-haired male frown.

"That was for coming back into the forest even though you knew it was dangerous to do so."

Right before Zidane could say anything else, Emerald leant forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. Turning away from the others, he crossed his arms in front of his chest before looking back at the blond with small smile.

"That is also for coming back into the forest even though you knew it was dangerous to do so." Glancing over at the others, he raised an eyebrow as he finally realized who exactly was there.

"Baku let you take the Princess with you?"

Nodding, the pretty young woman stepped forward and kept her staff against her body.

"Yes, when I heard that it was due to you sacrificing yourself in order for me to escape…I had to come." Staring down at the shorter girl, for a second he was sure that her image was switched out for someone else's for a split second. Bringing his hand up to run his fingers through his hair, he sighed but then bowed towards her.

"Well I thank you all for helping me…"

Steiner, whom had been silent for most of the conversation, stepped forward. Coming to a stop right in front of Emerald, he gave a slight bow towards the younger male.

"I can't thank you enough for saving the Princess, Master Emerald…and I can't help but say that I was impressed by your skill in combat! You and Master Vivi were a big contribution to our victory!" A slight blush formed on his currently pale skin at the praises the Knight was spewing, and Vivi was fiddling with his hat in embarrassment.

Zidane seemed to take offence to being ignored, if the glare he was sending towards the Captain of the Pluto Knights said anything.

"Hey! I was fighting too!" But the Knight seemed to be ignoring him as he then turned to the Princess, and began praising her role as a White Mage. And Emerald could say that she had fulfilled her role excellently, and she was obviously very skilled with healing magic. Shaking his head, the Monk of Tantalus flipped his loose hair over his shoulders.

"I think that we should get moving, quickly…if what I read is correct then we have to be out of the woods before the sun raises." Taking a step forward, Emerald suddenly collasped and fell into a blissful sleep.

"EMERALD!" Zidane dropped down by his side, and pulled the other man into his arms. What happened? Why was he unconscious?

"Did you guys even give him some of the potion I gave you?"

Looking up from the male's pretty face, his eyes widened as they fell on Blank.

_

* * *

__He couldn't see a thing around him. Nothing but darkness surrounded him, and not a sound could be heard. A glow was around him, and suddenly a crystal spiraling staircase formed before his very eyes. For a moment he didn't move, but then he started moving without any control over his body. Minutes passed, but to him it felt like hours before he got to the top of the stairs._

_There in front of him was a green glowing orb, and to the right was a door. Raising a brow, he stepped towards the orb and placed his hand on top of it. Warmth spread through his body, and he realized that this was his magical core. _

"_You are correct."_

_Whirling around, Harry immediately slid into his primary fighting stance, but his eyes landed on the person in front of him. Emerald green eyes widened a bit at the sight of the person, whom was a primary figure in many picture books he read when he was brought to the Lindblum Castle. _

"_The Goddess Cosmos?"_

* * *

Tightening his hold on Emerald's limp form, Blank wondered how it came to this. Looking back over his shoulder, he saw the plant spiders chasing them. After Emerald collapsed, the whole forest seemed to go nuts, and that happened to be when he arrived at the scene. Now they were being chased through the forest, and he knew that at this pace they were not going to make it. Gazing down at the beautiful man in his arms, he had a feeling that this would be the final time he would see him for a while.

Zidane was running next to him, and he stopped briefly earlier and told him to take care of everyone. The dread that spread through him at that moment made him wonder what he was going to do. As if to reward his inattention, one of the plant monsters grabbed Blank, but blocked the other spiders from getting to the others.

"BLANK! EMERALD!" Gritting his teeth, Blank looked over the top of the spider and saw that everything was starting to petrify.

His eyes fell down to Emerald, whom was completely oblivious as to what was going on. Making his decision, he pulled out a scroll, and wrapped the other male's arms around it while pressing his lips against the other's gently.

"ZIDANE! CATCH!" With surprising strength, he chucked the longhaired male towards the blonde thief. He thanked every omniscient being out there that Emerald was light enough for that maneuver to work. Running, Zidane stretched his arms out caught the unconscious male.

Jumping up, he was able to successfully dodge the spiked vines that were trying to capture him. With a final leap, he wrapped his arms around Emerald tightly, tucking the other's head into his chest. Rolling down the small hill, he saw the vines wrap around the exit of the forest before it too turned to stone. For a moment, Zidane stayed there with Emerald in his embrace. He closed his eyes, and rested his head on top of Emerald's.

'_Dammit! That idiot! …Blank…'_

* * *

Vivi placed a wet cloth on Emerald's forehead, and sat by his side with concern clear in his golden eyes.

"I hope that he gets well soon…"

Garnet, whom was sitting on his other side nodded. She too hoped that the man got better; she had to thank him after all for looking out for her in the forest. But it seemed that someone else had a better idea of how to spend his time.

"THIS IS ALL HIS FAULT!"

The Princess and the Black Mage looked over at Zidane, whom the armor-clad Knight was pointing out. Unfortunately for the latter, the one he was accusing wasn't paying any attention to his ranting. Growling at the fact he is being ignored, Steiner stepped forward with his fists raised.

"HAVE YOU NOTHING TO SAY, YOU FILTH?"

Rolling his eyes, the monkey-tailed thief crossed his arms before looking at the landscape ahead of them. It was going to be a long journey ahead of them to get to Lindblum. Glancing over at Emerald from the corner of his eye, his gaze then switched to the princess whom was looking after him along with Vivi. Despite the fact that he was no longer with Tantalus, and wasn't in anyway responsible for getting the Princess there…he would make sure she got there anyway.

'_I had promised to kidnap her anyway…'_

And he couldn't say that her White Magic hadn't been very helpful so far. She would be a very needed part of their group, especially with the fact that he didn't have that many potions and some other things. Hopefully Emerald had it on him, but it is always a good idea to have a healer in their party.

"…Ugh…"

Instantly all eyes were on Emerald, and they watched as he slowly revealed his bright eyes to the world. Groaning slightly in discomfort, the monk sat up with the help of Vivi before looking at all of them.

"We're…out of the forest?" Nodding, the Princess leaned forward and peered into his eyes with anxiety.

"Yes, it was a few hours ago…are you alright?"

Humming in confirmation, he looked at all of them and gave a small smile.

"Well I'm glad to be out of there." No one was laughing, though there was a sad smile on the Princess's face. Immediately trepidation seeped down into him. Something had happened, and he wasn't there to know what had happened. Turning to Zidane, he narrowed his eyes.

'_What is going on? What happened?' _

From the grief-stricken look on his face, he could tell that the blond knew exactly what he wanted to ask. But he shook his head, and closed his eyes. Nodding, he laid back down on the makeshift pallet they had laid made for him. Blocking his eyes from view with his arm, he sighed.

He had a feeling that things were only going to get more complicated after this.

* * *

~ End of Disk I, Chapter 2~

* * *

(1) Monk: Also known as _Black Belt_; it's a job class that appears in many of the final fantasy games. They are characterized primarily by their affinity for fighting entirely barehanded. The few weapons they do use consist of claws and knuckles that strap onto their hands. Examples of Monks: Yang Fang Leiden (Final Fantasy IV), Sabin Rene Figaro (Final Fantasy VI), Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII), Zell Dincht (Final Fantasy VIII), Amarant Coral (Final Fantasy IX, he will be showing up sooner or later), and Snow Villiers (Final Fantasy XIII).

Whoot! I am finally done with the second chapter! XD I was sort of having a writer's block like halfway through the chapter, but I worked my way through it, and now they are out of the forest. Now that I have a beta, and a new copy of Final Fantasy IX (Thank you Amazon!), I will be trying harder to update more. Don't know why I have been slacking off, and sleeping most of the time but hey! Anyway I hope that you enjoyed the chapter, and will continue to stick around.

_M.K: Yes you all should know that I, as her beta, will be her cheerleader, then at other points I will be forced to pickaxe her. DX Let's all hope there aren't too many of those points, shall we?_

83

Ja ne,

DeathNoteMaker


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